Free Republic

Ric Williamson, a former state legislator and longtime pal of Gov. Rick Perry, runs the monthly meetings of the Texas Transportation Commission like a traffic cop. Staff members give brisk status reports before Williamson dismisses them so the next bureaucrat can take the podium. If members of the public embark on a diatribe, Williamson will let them prattle on with an air of friendly indulgence. Then, rounding his shoulders and leaning forward—using body language no doubt perfected when he and Perry were freshmen state representatives harrying their elders—he’ll pleasantly announce that their time is up. As commission chairman, Williamson sits...

Sequestered from the city's traffic and noise, the newly renovated course seems somewhat an anomaly. But 10 of New York City's 13 public courses are undergoing renovations costing $50 million - and all the funds are coming from private companies that have contracts with the Parks Department to operate the courses. The biggest player is the privately owned American Golf Corporation, which is putting $26 million in capital investment into six courses that it operates for the city. With the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and by extension taxpayers, chipping in no money at all, the much-improved...